Find a feature

Most of us play games to escape reality. For a few moments, the trials of the material world trickle away and your only concern is how many goddamn gold coins you can collect in an hour. Then, out of nowhere, a friggin' Xbox 360 console shows up in the actual game and all your suspended disbelief goes right out the window. It happens more often than you'd think. So often, in fact, we had little trouble amassing a large collection of these sneaky cameos. Here are the best examples, from zombie-blasting Dreamcasts to a DS floating in space.

If there were a list of Rules for Videogames, the #1 rule would have to be, “Always make cutscenes skippable.” But the number two rule may very well be, “Don't play games based on movies.” It's a truth that's been self-evident rarely without exception ever since ET stunk up the Atari 2600.

But Rule #2's been in for some revision lately, as GoldenEye-shaped aberrations and Butcher Bay-escaping anomalies defy the “movie games are crap” truism. Maybe the way to make a non-terrible adaptation is to hold off until you're sure you have a classic property on your hands. Given movie games’ review history, the simple act of getting them to a stage where people say they’re “well-executed” or “worth the price” is a pretty big step...

Contributors: Chris Antista, Charlie Barratt, Brett Elston, Matthew Keast, Shane Patterson, Mikel Reparaz

Hundreds of games are released every year, then played and forgotten by the next. Only a dozen or so will be remembered a decade from now, and only a few of those will have any lasting impact on the medium as a whole.

Which upcoming titles stand the best chance of leaving that meaningful mark?

Some games kick off with an almighty bang. God of War, for example, let's the dog (the player) see the rabbit (colossus-sized boss) before the pad has even had time to warm in the hands. But not all games commence with such lightning speed and dramatic gusto. These are seven such stellar software experiences that take their time to move through the gears. 

If there were a list of Rules for Videogames, the #1 rule would have to be, “Always make cutscenes skippable.” But the number two rule may very well be, “Don't play games based on movies.” It's a truth that's been self-evident rarely without exception ever since ET stunk up the Atari 2600.

But Rule #2's been in for some revision lately, as GoldenEye-shaped aberrations and Butcher Bay-escaping anomalies defy the “movie games are crap” truism. Maybe the way to make a non-terrible adaptation is to hold off until you're sure you have a classic property on your hands. Given movie games’ review history, the simple act of getting them to a stage where people say they’re “well-executed” or “worth the price” is a pretty big step...

Summer’s right around the corner (starting tomorrow in fact) and despite the glorious weather that comes with it, this time of year is usually thought of as the unsufferable months until the real games come out this winter. Seriously, we’re getting tired of a hundred games flooding stores between October and December. Spread the love throughout the year, dummies!

Most people don't think that the skybox is a particularly sexy or clever element of game design. But most people are dead wrong. Don't be like those people. Read on and we'll deliver you from their wrongness. With knowledge.

So that's it, then. After six years the epic Lost comes to an end in pretty disappointing style. If you've yet to see the finale, just take comfort that it doesn't end up all being a dream of the dog. Still, the fairly crushing finale got us thinking about equally epic games that ended on a disappointing whimper. And all the titles inside are either guilty of rubbish, anti climactic endings or deeply underwhelming last levels/ bosses.

Most people don't think that the skybox is a particularly sexy or clever element of game design. But most people are dead wrong. Don't be like those people. Read on and we'll deliver you from their wrongness. With knowledge.